A courthouse visitor
By Sue Hirshman with
Mary Ann Dismant and Kent Nelson

A friend that works at the Ouray Courthouse notified me on Wednesday, Jan. 4 of a strange bird that was hanging around the building. The bird was first noticed sitting on a railing to the back door of the side entrance. Several people watched the bird as it wandered around the alley, stopped to drink some water, took shelter under a truck and then flew across the street. When I arrived the bird was sitting under a tree in a neighbor’s yard. It appeared rather tame and I took several pictures. My first impression of the bird, was a 'White-tailed Ptarmigan' because of the white feathers and fuzz on its legs and being rather tame. After looking at my pictures closely I began to think this would be unlikely for a Ptarmigan to wander this far from the tundra. This bird spends its whole life on the tundra and it should be all white this time of year.
Birding and identifying some birds can be a challenge at times. I notified several birding experts and they looked at my pictures. Finally, we all agreed that the bird is a “Dusky Grouse.”
This species is the second largest game grouse of the mountain forests of the west. The male is larger than the female with an average of three pounds. He is slate-gray or blue-gray in color with a black bill and dark eye. Hidden by his feathers on each side of his neck are golf ball-sized orange air sacs. He displays them in the spring to seek out a mate. The female Dusky Grouse is more mottled brown; white markings are present on her flanks and under her tail feathers. Feathering extends to the base of the middle toe. I believe this bird to be a female. Both the female and male have a gray tip on their dark tail which is a good identification key.
The female Dusky Grouse lays seven to 10 eggs placed under a shrub or trees and very difficult to find. Incubation will require 21 to 24 days. The male will not help with the rearing of the chicks. The young are precocious and are led from the nesting area by the female as soon as their down is dry. It is interesting to note the female Dusky Grouse, like several other species, will feign injury, which calls attention to herself in every possible manner to give her chicks a chance to hide or remove themselves from the immediate danger. The chick’s diet is insects at first and then a vegetarian diet like the adults. The family usually stays together in the summer habitat which is generally mixed forests and primarily along forest edges. In the fall berries are an important diet staple for the males. The family will eat other plant material including shoots, buds, leaves and conifer needles, a large portion of their diet.
Another interesting fact is the Dusky Grouse is capable of flying at speeds of 25 miles per hour or more on the level.
During the winter months most of the birds move up to higher elevation conifer forests. Dusky Grouse are birds of the high mountains, and why this particular bird traveled to a lower elevation is a mystery. We can only speculate several reasons. One reason might be the lack of a food source. Another reason might be the Dusky Grouse will fly downhill when flushed by an animal or person or if the bird is in danger. I like to think the Dusky Grouse just wanted to visit the Courthouse and enjoy the beauty of Ouray. In all circumstances it was a thrill to see the Dusky Grouse and I know the other people thought so too.

The following birds were sighted in the Ridgway area and in and around Ouray for the month of January, 2012.
Great Blue Heron, Canada Goose, Wood Duck*, Mallard, Common Goldeneye, Common Merganser, Sharp-shinned Hawk, Red-tailed Hawk, Bald Eagle, Dusky Grouse*, Eurasian Collared-Dove, Band-tailed Pigeon*, Downy Woodpecker, Hairy Woodpecker, Northern Flicker, Steller’s Jay, Pinyon Jay, Common Raven, Black-capped Chickadee, Mountain Chickadee, Red-breasted Nuthatch, White-breasted Nuthatch, Townsend’s Solitaire, Mountain Bluebird*, American Robin, Spotted Towhee, Dark-eyed Junco(Oregon, Slate-colored), Evening Grosbeak, American Goldfinch., Killdeer**(seen Jan. 25)
*Unusual Sightings

Note: Please let me know of your unusual bird sightings or experience. I would love to hear
from you. Sue at 325-4876